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Burger King Says No to Soy Patties in Berkeley

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With her Burger King franchise situated in this city's gourmet ghetto, Beverly Tabb wanted to appeal to the culinary elite by offering something special -- a soy-based meatless burger.

But last week the Burger King Corporation, a subsidiary of Grand Metropolitan, a British conglomerate, told Ms. Tabb to shelve her plans to sell the faux burger. And now her meatless hamburger, "the Griller," which sells for $1.59, has become a rallying cry among some Berkeley residents who want vegetarian fast food.

This week the City Council sent a letter urging Burger King to let Ms. Tabb sell vegetarian burgers alongside Whoppers. At a rally on Wednesday at Ms. Tabb's Burger King, samples of the no-fat, no-cholesterol patty were given to passers-by. One protest sign read, "Give Peas a Chance."

Councilwoman Donna Spring, who attended the rally, wrote the council's letter to Burger King, in which she detailed how meat-eaters contributed to environmental problems. "Berkeley prides itself on being an eco city," she said. "It's great that we're once again leading a national trend." Test Results Awaited

The Miami-based hamburger chain test marketed a vegetarian patty in 38 New York outlets last year and is prohibiting any veggie burger sales until it evaluates those test results, said Cori Zywotow, a spokeswoman for Burger King.

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"Burger King's strategy is back to the basics -- let's go back to what we're known for," Ms. Zywotow said.

The Berkeley Burger King learned about vegetarian burgers through Farm Sanctuary, an animal-rights group in Watkins Glen, N.Y., that prompted David Kessler, who has a Burger King franchise, to bring a meatless burger to customers in western New York last year. Burger King Has Its Way

Mr. Kessler said that gaining corporate approval for his request to test market a veggie burger "was like turning the Queen Mary around in a bathtub," but that he was able to prove that the Griller was highly popular. After test marketing ended in December, he continued to sell the burger at one restaurant, but Ms. Zywotow said he would have to drop it from his menu.

"If I don't have a Griller, I think most of those people would leave," Mr. Kessler said of his new vegetarian customers.

Berkeley vegetarian advocates have poked fun at Burger King's motto, "Have it your way." But Ms. Zywotow countered that customers do have ample choice and can, in fact, order a meatless burger.

A version of this article appears in print on May 15, 1994, on Page 1001024 of the National edition with the headline: Burger King Says No to Soy Patties in Berkeley. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe